JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Another retail giant has joined Walmart in its decision not to sell the Confederate flag at any of its stores or online.
Sears announced Tuesday that it was pulling all Confederate flag merchandise from its shelves following a church massacre in Charleston, South Carolina, that left nine adults dead at the hands of a gunman.
For some, the flag is a symbol of America's history, but for others, it's a lasting reminder of hatred and racism.
Dylann Roof, the 21-year-old white man accused of killing nine black community leaders in Charleston, can be seen in online photos holding the Confederate flag and burning and spitting on the American flag. The website, which is registered to Roof but otherwise does not mention his name, features a 2,000-word racist manifesto that details the writer's philosophy of white superiority.
But locals who fly the Confederate flag proudly say the issue is not as simple as black and white.
"It's not a black and white thing, it's a history thing. Black people fought in the war, too, so I don't understand why they feel like it needs to be gotten rid of just because some idiot goes in and shoots people. That doesn't mean it should change history," Sharon Gunter, a local consumer, said.
According to South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the Confederate flag is history that belongs in a museum and not at the State Capitol. She said she's not going to let the symbol divide the state any longer, and Rep. Corrine Brown agrees.
"When I see the flag, it doesn't make me feel good, and that's at the state capitol, and the capitol is everybody's, so everyone should have some grounded investment in the capitol," Brown said.
Brown also said she thinks the Confederate flag belongs in museums. Walmart agreed, issuing a statement Tuesday: "We never want to offend anyone with the products that we offer, whether it's in our stores or on our website."
Sears, which also owns Kmart, said the company is removing all third-party sales of flag merchandise from its website.
But locals said the hatred doesn't come from the flag but from people's hearts.
"It's a part of history. I think it should stay," Jacksonville resident Michelle Williamson said.
Online retail giant eBay has also said that it will begin restricting listings of the Confederate flag and items containing the design. A representative for the company said it monitors about 800 million items on its website, and company officials believe the flag has become a contemporary symbol of divisiveness and racism.